Tag: Margot Robbie

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS: A Queen’s Place in a Man’s World

Mary Queen of Scots: A Queen's Place in a Man's World

2.5 out of 4 stars (2.5 / 4)

This historical drama is worth the price of admission alone for Margot Robbie’s transformative performance. However, plotting issues and overly imaginative historical inaccuracies get in the way and prevent Mary Queen of Scots from fully shining as a compelling character study.

Mary Queen of Scots, directed by Josie Rourke, is largely being marketed as a clash between two distinct queens who both believe themselves to be the rightful ruler of a divided country. With a screenplay from the former showrunner of House of Cards, Beau Willimon, it seems reasonable to expect a series of political maneuvers and machinations from each opposing monarch until a victor is ultimately crowned. The film, however, is largely not the story being advertised, as the film instead offers a feminist slant on historical events which cleverly plays with audience expectations of the ensuing conflict. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the film is suitably thought-provoking and  riveting at times, even if the story is not without its issues.

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I, Tonya Review

I Tonya Review

3 out of 4 stars (3 / 4)

“There’s no such thing as truth. Everyone has their own truth.” This phrase is uttered by Margot Robbie’s Tonya Harding during one of the film’s most poignant scenes and if the central idea of the film had to be summed up this quote would suffice. While the scandal is salient in the minds of almost everyone who witnessed the Olympics in 1994, there has never been a story from Harding and her associates’ perspectives before. I, Tonya, directed by Craig Gillespie, provides a fresh examination of Harding’s early life as well as what transpired leading up to the infamous event and the fallout that ended Harding’s skating career. Although the film at times sacrifices nuance in an effort to make this story completely from Harding’s point of view, the film blends comedy and drama effectively to tell the story of an ice skater unlike any other. Whether Tonya’s unconventional approach to figure skating should be celebrated or vilified, much like the public during this time period, is up to the viewer to decide.

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